Institution

The Rancho Santa Fe area, originally Kumeyaay territory, began as a land grant of 9,000 acres to Juan María Osuna and was formerly known as Rancho San Dieguito. Despite years of different ownership between various people and companies (including the Santa Fe Railway Company), the area became one of California’s first planned communities by the 1920s, whose singular style, Spanish Colonial Revival, was heavily integrated through the works of Lilian Rice. After decades passed since Rancho Santa Fe’s early beginnings, on February 3, 1989, the California State Historical Resources Commission approved the original planned community of the Rancho Santa Fe area (called The Covenant) as a designated State Historic Landmark. Today, a stone monument resides in the Village Green across the street from The Inn that commemorates the long and rich history of the Rancho Santa Fe area.

On February 3, 1989 the California State Historical Resources Commission approved the Covenant area known as Rancho Santa Fe as a designated State Historic Landmark. This monument is situated in the park surrounded by the roads La Flecha, Avenida De Acacias, and La Gracia. On October 23, 2021, a statue commemorating Lilian Rice will be unveiled in the green opposite of this landmark.

State Historic Landmark #982

Director

The historic city of Rancho Santa Fe is located in San Diego County, California. About 30 miles north of San Diego City, it is also situated between the highways I-5 and I-15. In this city, the inspiring life and legacy of architect, Lilian J. Rice lives on in her historic work that still stands today. Most of Rice’s work is built within the Rancho Santa Fe Covenant, the original planned community of the city, and after years of preserving her work and the historic charm of the area, the State of California Historical Resources Commission unanimously approved the Covenant area as California State Historical Landmark #982 on February 3, 1989. Within this walking tour and the city, one can view Rice’s historic buildings and in doing so, take a step back into the early 1900s when the Ranch’s humble beginnings were first blossoming.

Designed in 1923 by the architect, Lilian Rice, this building was one of the first residences of her design in Rancho Santa Fe. Inspired by the ranch history of the area, her travels, and her training, Rice captured the Spanish Colonial Revival style in her work and as one of the first residences in the area, she set the example for the architectural style for the rest of the community. In its past, the building has served as Rancho Santa Fe's first library and it was one of the first all-electric homes in San Diego County. In 1989, the building was donated to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society by the Reitz Family and afterwards, it was restored.Currently, the La Flecha property serves as the headquarters of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society where artifacts, documents, and furniture from Lilian Rice’s time period and later are displayed, interpreted, and preserved.Reitz Family: In 1960, Bud and Marguerita Reitz bought the La Flecha property. As locals originally from La Jolla, members of the Art Jury, and collectors of antiques, the couple had a desire to preserve the historic charm of the area. While under their ownership, the couple remodeled the interior of the building for commercial use, but in line with their philosophy about preserving history, they donated their antiques and the La Flecha property to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society in 1988. Currently, a section of the original interior adobe wall is under glass display in the La Flecha House.

The first residence in Rancho Santa Fe designed by Lilian Rice in 1923 is an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style she set for the community. It is also one of the first all-electric homes in San Diego County and served as the first library. Donated to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society by the Reitz Family in 1989, it was restored with a section of an interior adobe wall still visible under glass.

Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society - La Flecha House

As its name alludes to, this building was created for the headquarters of the Rancho Santa Fe Land Improvement Company (SFLIC). When this building was designed, it was during the aftermath of a failed eucalyptus experiment from the previous owners, the Rancho Santa Fe Railway Company, which left much of the land in the area cleared for building. Because of the opportunity this cleared land offered, the SFLIC created a well-planned community design to be constructed for the area. This was heavily influenced by Lilian Rice who was the SFLIC’s supervising architect at the time. Built on the corner of Paseo Delicias and Avenida de Acacias, the Original Santa Fe Land Improvement Company Office was designed in 1923 by Lilian Rice and it remains as the cornerstone of the commercial block she designed. Since its creation, it has been known as the “anchor for the business center.” The charm of the place remains in its stucco walls, original molded window arches, and green trim. During this time, the Rancho Santa Fe Covenant was formed and so was the RSF Association and the RSF Art Jury. Today, it is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places and while it has maintained much of its historic originality, it currently houses, office, restaurant, and retail space.

This landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places has retained almost all its historical integrity. It remains the cornerstone of the commercial block designed by Lilian Rice in 1923 with architectural details establishing a distinctive and varied harmony. Today it is home to restaurant, office, and retail space.

Original Santa Fe Land Improvement Company Office

As part of Rice’s design in 1923, an interior courtyard was incorporated in the center of the commercial block she was commissioned to design. In its earliest days, the outdoor courtyard served as a place to hold equipment for the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and for Glenn Moore, the SFLIC’s landscape architect that worked closely with Rice on much of the early residences in Rancho Santa Fe. Today, the courtyard’s charm is still preserved, with the original arched entry design maintained. However, the small pool in the center of the courtyard from Rice’s design is now replaced by a fountain. The courtyard’s landscape has been largely unchanged and the buildings surrounding it are home to real estate, business, and restaurant space.

The arched entry opens to an interior courtyard with a charming small pool. Originally it provided space for equipment for the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and for Glenn Moore, the landscape architect who worked with Lilian Rice on many of the early estates. Today a fountain replaces the pool.

Country Squire Courtyard

The Santa Fe Land and Improvement Company Office features embedded towers and flattened domes on top resembling in some ways elements found in San Diego's Spanish village designed by Richard Requa. The only exterior alterations include the removal of the lengthy iron grill work from the windows and the replacement of the original single vertical heavy glass windows with multiple paned glass. An attached wooden garage at the northeast corner of the building, nearly hidden from view on Avenida de Acacias, is the only addition. The Santa Fe Land and Improvement Company Office building is subtly distinctive. The adobe construction gives it an appearance of a business structure out of a 19th century city in Mexico, yet it has touches of delicate ornamentation, particularly around the eaves and the windows. The second major adobe building is located at the corner of Paseo Delicias and Via de Santa Fe, and similarly designed by Rice in 1923, was constructed to serve as additional offices for the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company. This building, therefore, anchored a second corner of the same block on Paseo Delicias. It, too, has a flat roof. The building has smooth rounded plastered white corners, tile gutter spouts, and heavy wooden doors with decorative ironware.

This office building, completed in 1923 for the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company, was also the location of the first post office in the Village, with a single counter and a scale at the rear of the room. In 1938, Robert Rancisco purchased the building and opened Ashley’s Market. Today the building contains offices.

The Francisco Building

This building was designed by Lilian Rice during the late 1920s and its original use was for storage and as a home for resident Louise Badger. At the time, Badger (nee Spurr) was the mother of young Ed Spurr and in the beginning of her time in Rancho Santa Fe, she was abandoned and divorced by her husband to run a service station in the building adjacent to her home and to raise her child on her own.Despite these early setbacks, Louise was very successful. With the help of Lilian Rice in babysitting her son and her own tenacity, she ran the service station and also established an eatery known as Louise Badger’s Fountain Lunch in the area, which also served as a local library to Rancho Santa Fe residents. Previous to living at this residence, Badger lived in one of the Lilian Rice Row Homes until her marriage to Hal Badger, where she moved her residence to the one mentioned here. From his familial line, the Badger family has long roots in Rancho Santa Fe, having a history of managing citrus groves since the Ranch’s early beginnings.Overtime, parts of the structure have been changed, such as an addition of a building (which had been home to an antique showroom for many years) in the patio space and the addition of another building that replaced the pumps in the service station. Currently, the original building serves as space for a real estate business.

This Lilian Rice designed building during the late 1920s was used for storage for the adjoining garage quadrangle, and later as a home for Louise Badger, who operated a soda fountain in an adjacent building. The Badger family has managed citrus groves in Rancho Santa Fe since its earliest days. This building and a subsequently added building currently house an antique store.

Louise Badger House

As part of the second wave of development that included the Joers/Ketchum store, the La Valencia Apartments were constructed. Built on the corner of Paseo Delicias and La Granada, it was completed in 1928. Designed by Lilian Rice, the building and its lot were originally purchased by George A. C. Christiancy, a retired New York banker. Because of his ownership of the lot that the building resides in, it is the second in the area to be developed under private ownership, the first being the Joers/Ketchum store. The two story building was designed in the Monterey style and the original purpose of the building was for mixed use, much like the rest of the early buildings in Rancho Santa Fe. The La Valencia apartments originally housed three offices on the first floor and three rental apartments on the second floor. One of the offices was used by Rice herself. In addition, some of the apartments were used by her hired draftsmen as housing space because of her increasing workload in the 1930s.Overtime, the building has undergone slight remodeling, but much of its original charm remains. Currently, the building houses a variety of businesses and is mainly used for commercial purposes.

This two story building in the Monterey style was built for multiple investors, one being Barron Millard, one of the early planners and developers of the Rancho Santa Fe golf course. It accommodated rooms for short term rentals upstairs with offices below. Lilian Rice had her offices here. It retains much of the original beautiful facade. Today various businesses occupy the space.

La Valencia Apartments

As Rancho Santa Fe began to grow in population in the 1920s, additional housing space was needed in the center of town. The SFLIC commissioned Lilian Rice to design a block of four row houses to front on Paseo Delicias. There is a fifth row house that is believed to be designed by Rice because of its similar style and character to the other four homes. However, this has not been confirmed. Construction of the row houses began in 1926 and the finished product (completed in 1927), which has been noted as one of Rice’s finest achievements, resembles the style of the Old World Spanish village homes. The building marks the full maturity of Rice’s style because of the separate exterior facades created from different materials and colors that make the homes appear as if they were built separately over time, despite sharing joint walls and having similar floor plans. 50 percent of each unit's property is occupied by patio and garden space and in line with the true Spanish style, these were surrounded by tall stucco walls to ensure privacy for its occupants and to allow for the intermingling of indoor and outdoor space. In addition, much like the La Flecha house, the row houses were also built with modern electric appliances. A unique fact about the construction of the row houses is that since construction of the row houses began after the four units were sold, Rice was able to tailor plans to the buyers’ desires and requirements. Through consultations with her, buyers were able to adjust the number of bedrooms and the placement of other rooms, such as dining rooms and kitchens, to fit their needs.Today, two of the row houses, the Spurr-Clotfelter Row House and the Megrew Row House/Pearl Baker Row House, have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ul><li>6108 - Millar House</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Currently still under the ownership of the Millers since 1927. First owned by William Hartney Millar and Marian Millar. The former worked for the CalCanadian Bank and opened an office in RSF.</li><li>6112 - Spur-Clotfelter House</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Presently listed on the National Register and was built for Louise Garvey Spurr in 1926. She lived there until 1931 and later married Hal Badger. Later, Reginald Clotfelter, a worker for SFLIC and later the manager of La Morada Hotel (The Inn), moved into the home after her. Currently, the house is kept in the Clotfelter family as a rental property.</li><li>6118 - Nelson House</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Built for Ruth and Sydney Nelson in 1926. Nelson was the first ranch manager of the SFLIC and he and his wife advocated for preserving the character, values of tradition, and history of the ranch (Ruth published her book Rancho Santa Fe Today and Yesterday in 1947). Their son, Bob Nelson (a WWII lieutenant colonel in the US Army Air Force) lived in the row house until 1954).</li><li>6122 - Megrew House</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Currently on the National Register. It was built in 1926 and was originally owned by the SFLIC until 1939, when it was sold to Edith Megrew. Her husband, George, became RSF’s first postmaster in 1927. Currently, much of the ~1,223 square foot original house remains.</li><li>6126 - Moore House</li></ul>This row house was constructed for the landscape architect for the SFLIC, Glenn Moore. Ida May, his wife, was the first femalepostmaster in RSF. This house is often referred to as “Casa Blanca” because of its white stucco facade.

The rowhouses, with joint walls and similar floor plans, were designed to provide private residences within the Village commercial district. Lilian Rice gave each a separate and distinct exterior along the street, with lovely gardens behind high walls in the Spanish style. Completed in 1927, two have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today they remain private residences.

Lilian Rice Row Houses

Soon after the row houses were completed, a second wave of construction in the area began in 1927. The first building in this development was the Joers/Ketchum Store, a construction consisting of an apartment building and a store built for private developers F.W. Joers and Harold D. Ketchum. Interestingly, it was the first commercial project built in this area not owned by the land company. Built on the corner of Paseo Delicias and La Granada and designed by Lilian Rice, the owners opened a store that sold groceries, produce, and also included a small pharmacy and a soda fountain. Both of the two stories of the building were used, where the first floor housed commercial space for the store and the second floor housed apartment space above. During its use, part of the building was used as a location for the local post office and at another time, the lower storeroom served as a tea room. At this point in time, the area served as a mixture of commercial and residential space.After the store was completed within the same year, Joers and Ketchum expanded their block by constructing two buildings on the neighboring lots, a rowhouse, another structure that housed a tea shop, an office for Ketchum, and a studio store.Today, the building houses retail space, specifically a clothing boutique.

Designed and completed in 1927, this was the first commercial building constructed in the Village by private owners, W.E. Joers and H.E. Ketchum. The two-story design allowed for an apartment above and a store below. At one time, it served as a location for the post office. Today it is a retail space.

Joers/Ketchum Store

Schooling in Rancho Santa Fe began in 1905 with the construction of a wood-framed schoolhouse, known as Aliso Canyon School, by local residents, Ferdinand Coehn, Theodore Fidero, and others. The structure served as the first school in Rancho Santa Fe until almost two decades later, when the original country schoolhouse closed and students moved to the Village to continue their studies in the early 1920’s.The school that the students attended in the Village was designed by Lilian Rice and Hamond Whisitt and was completed in 1924. There were only 14 students who attended the school in its opening year and the graduating class of that year consisted of one student, Ivy Fidero Laughter. Throughout its use, the structure was utilized as a schoolhouse until 1931, when a larger schoolhouse was constructed (also designed by Lilian Rice) to accommodate a growing population in the area.In 1927, the Aliso Canyon School officially was renamed the Rancho Santa Fe School and in addition, the Rancho Santa Fe School District was formed.In terms of architectural design, the corner building of the structure was added at a later date and today, the building serves as a mix between restaurant and commercial space.

Designed by Lilian Rice and Hamond Whitsitt and completed in 1924. That year’s graduating class consisted of one student, Ivy Fidero Laughter. The corner building was added at a later date. Today it is a combined restaurant and commercial space. The building has since been slightly remodeled, but its former character still remains recognizable.

First Rancho Santa Fe School

Constructed in 1937, this building was used as the first clubhouse for the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club, a current California nonprofit corporation dedicated to promoting and preserving the art of horticulture.The history of the Garden Club dates back to 1926, when a group of local families united under the cause of furthering the advancement of landscaping and gardening in the Ranch. Overtime, the Club and this building were used for many purposes, including the headquarters for war agencies during WWII (designated as a Civilian Casualty Center). In addition, the Club sponsored the first anti-litter and clean-up campaign in San Diego County.Before the building was constructed, the land for the project was donated by the SFLIC. In addition, funds for this board and batten building, a change in Lilian Rice’s style from Spanish Colonial Revival, were donated by an anonymous donor. Furnshingings for the clubhouse were also donated by others in the Ranch.Today, the building is no longer used for the Garden Club. Rather, it is used for office, retail, and real estate business space. In 1975, the building ownership transferred to The Country Friends.However, the legacy of the Garden Club lives on. Currently, the Club successfully preserves and promotes horticulture by providing grants to other nonprofits in the area. The Club has also funded horticulture and conservation projects, a few of which include Balboa Park Conservancy, San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, and many local elementary school gardens.

In 1937, Lilian Rice changed her architectural style for this board and batten building. The Santa Fe Land Company donated the land and private donors contributed the clubhouse and furnishings for the original Garden Club building. Today, the building now houses various office and retail space, including a real estate business.

Original Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club

Due to the increasing population in Rancho Santa Fe in the 1930’s, a larger schoolhouse than the one in The Village was needed to accommodate the growing number of pupils. In 1931, construction of this new building off of Paseo Delicias began. It should be noted that Lilian Rice (who again worked in partnership with Hammond Whitsett) was commissioned to design this site of the new Rancho Santa Fe School as well.As well as serving the purpose of a school during its use, the building later became the site of the post office. Eventually, a bigger school needed to be constructed to once again accommodate for a rapidly increasing number of students and the current school, named R. Roger Row School, was constructed off of La Granada.Today, the second Rancho Santa Fe School houses office space for the Rancho Santa Fe Homeowners Association.

Designed by Lilian Rice and constructed in 1931, this building's original purpose was for the new site of the local Rancho Santa Fe school. As the population of Rancho Santa Fe grew due to the areas increasing popularity, this schoolhouse was built to accommodate for the rising student population. In the past, the building was used as a post office and now it is the office of the Rancho Santa Fe Homeowners Association.

Second Site of Rancho Santa Fe School

In 1925, this building and its complex were designed by Lilian Rice as the headquarters for the Rancho Santa Fe Irrigation District Office. In line with the original master plan of the community, the style of the building strayed away from an office look and rather was built and designed to look like a residential house to cohesively combine into the rest of the community, which all had a unifying style no matter its purpose (commercial or residential). Wilfred Ott Boetigger was the superintendent of the irrigation district during this time. Boetigger and his family lived in the complex of buildings right next to the office itself, also designed by Lilian Rice in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and in line with the master plan, the office and the complex of homes looked very similar.Recently, a restoration uncovered the original blue-green trim paint color and today, it remains the Irrigation District Office.

This building was designed by Lilian Rice in a residential style to blend into the neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe. A buttressed mule barn housed the equipment within and the recent careful restoration uncovered the original blue-green trim paint color, which was replicated in the remodel. Today, it remains the Irrigation District office.

Rancho Santa Fe Irrigation District Office

In 1923, Lilian Rice, in partnership with resident landscape architect Glenn Moore, was commissioned by the SFLIC to erect this site during the Ranch’s humble beginnings. Since the area was undeveloped and acres of land were for sale at the time, not many buildings were built for people or visitors to stay in. And so, with the need to house guests and prospective property buyers in Rancho Santa Fe, The Inn was created.Originally known as “La Morada”, The Inn humbly began as a dormitory for male workers who helped develop the area. After word spread that there was land in the area that could be bought for development, Rancho Santa Fe experienced an increase in guests and potential buyers. Thus, constructing more housing space for guests at the Ranch was needed. In 1923, The Inn was changed into a guest house and opened as the sole building where potential buyers could stay and scope out the land.In line with Rice’s style, The Inn was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Overtime, The Inn’s grounds expanded with the building of multiple cottages and passed through different ownerships and titles (one being Colonel George Roslington in 1939 who added a fifty-foot swimming pool and a cocktail lounge, among other additions). However, despite the changes overtime, the additions keep in touch with Lilian’s original Spanish style.Today, The Inn (now titled, “The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe”) remains under private ownership. While it has undergone much beautification over the years, its original charm and its historic purpose as the sole building that housed many of the original families that reside here today are preserved and remembered.

Designed by Lilian Rice for the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company in 1923 and originally called “La Morada”, The Inn set the style and provided accommodations for prospective buyers during the early days of Rancho Santa Fe. It continues in the private hands to the present, with a renewed appreciation of its historic traditions.

The Inn

In 1924, Lilian Rice designed this residence on La Gracia. As one of the first residences in the planned community, this 0.93 acre plot of land captures the historic charm of the early stages of the area.This building is one of many residences built in Lilian’s cohesive style, Spanish Colonial Revival, and it is believed that at one point, she used it as her own residence. Since it’s construction, the building has been remodeled (including the 1931 addition of the board and batten room at the north end of the house) and the previous overgrowth surrounding the building has been removed, except the ~200 year old California Live Oak in the front yard.Today, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places and it is currently used as the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center.

This building is a residence that was designed by Lilian Rice in 1924 and used for a time as her home. Today it is the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center. With it's design of pathways, terraces, and granite floors, the Hilton House is accessible for wheelchairs and walkers, making it a perfect fit for the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center today.

Hilton House

In 1906 the Santa Fe Railway, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka &amp; the Santa Fe, purchased all of the lands that made up the original San Dieguito land grant from several owners, including the Osunas. The railway’s intent was to use the land to grow lumber for railroad ties. From 1906 to 1914, after much study and experiment, Walter E. Hodges, vice president of Santa Fe’s California properties, planted 3.5 million Eucalyptus trees from seed on 3,000 acres in the southeast section of the land grant closest to the San Dieguito River. One of the main stretches of this land expiernement was located on what is now Paseo Delicias. However, the venture proved unsuccessful, predominantly because despite the species phenomenal rate of growth the trees had to be quite mature, even old growth, to have the structural capacity needed to underlay the rails for the great trains coming West.Santa Fe was ready to walk away from their well-intended failure. Just weeks before they were to put the land grant on the market one of San Diego’s most significant land and water developers, Colonel Ed Fletcher, intervened and assured them they could change course and recoup their losses. Both Fletcher and the Santa Fe were fully aware of the agricultural potential of the property. In today’s horticultural parlance, San Diego County is known as the ‘Avocado Belt’, prime land for agriculture, horticulture, and most famously, floriculture. Fletcher convinced them that if they planted the land in citrus and avocados, they could make money off the ‘tonnage’, or shipping, of California fruit back East. The brilliant idea of ‘Gentlemen’s Farmer’ estates arose and from then on a new project was launched.By 1921 Santa Fe filed a subdivision map generated by land expert and road engineer Leon Sinnard. It outlined land parcels that radiated out from a central core of small lots to very large ones. A Civic Center now referred as the ‘Village’ was comprised of the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company’s offices and Francisco’s food market, a Garage Block, a schoolhouse, village rowhouses for Santa Fe staff, and a Guest House, later named La Morada, now the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Later more commercial buildings were added. At the time of the filing of the map, Santa Fe decided to retire the name of Rancho San Dieguito for their namesake, Rancho Santa Fe.Paseo Delicias has become the main road that leads from the heart of Rancho Santa Fe out to East County San Diego.

Paseo Delicias, circa 1923. Today the roads are paved and trees and plantings are abundant. The spirit of the place still remains.Connecting to Del Dios Road and ending at The Inn, Paseo Delicias resides in the heart of the Civic Center, the first development of the Rancho Santa Fe planned community.As the central road of development in the area, many of the Rice designed buildings were built around this road including, the Original Santa Fe Land Improvement Company Office, the Francisco Building, the Louise Badger Home, the First Rancho Santa Fe School, the Joers/Ketchum Store, the Row Houses, and the La Valencia Apartments. Because of its centrality, the Village expanded outward from this point and the area surrounding Paseo Delicias became a hub of activity as multiple stores and businesses took up space during Lilian Rice’s time and today.While the street is now paved and the storefronts have changed overtime, the historic charm of the place remains and at its heart is Paseo Delicas.

Walking Tour of the Historic Rancho Santa Fe Village

State Historic Landmark #982

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources